Prevent equipment theft

Lakeview Sand and Gravel, based in Cambridge, Ontario, was one of the more recent victims of theft at its operation. On April 2, large amounts of diesel fuel were reportedly stolen from the business, according to The Record.com.

It’s hardly the first such incident to be reported. Just last week, we covered the case of a stolen skid steer at a Connecticut quarry.

The issue of theft at aggregate operations is becoming all too familiar. Many operators have lost items ranging from small equipment to copper pipes from their sites. Perhaps it’s the large footprint and remote location of many sites, but they seem to be more frequent targets for thieves.

During a recent conversation with a group of operators, I asked about theft . While the issue is not a new one, the source of some thefts was quite surprising: some operators said that their own employees were responsible for missing assets. One went so far as to install cameras and catch the in-house culprit.

While many machines are equipped with tracking devices and explosives are securely stored, the harm that can come to operations experiencing theft should not be underestimated. Every penny per ton is important, so a pile of stolen copper can add up.

That leads me to ask: have you experienced theft at your site? If so, was the perpetrator caught? Send me an email at therese@aggman.com to share your experience. If we can share collective best practices, it might benefit the industry as a whole.